There are a lot of requests on Facebook reading pages for haunted tomes to make their month more enjoyable (and more chilling). So I decided to comb through my “horror” and “paranormal” categories on Goodreads to see if I could find some good reads to recommend. I am not much of a horror aficionado, so those are in short supply, but I do like a good ghost story. Here’s a list of a few I have enjoyed, both new and classic, with some young adult stuff thrown in because it is also entertaining for we grownups.

The Haunting of Hill House, and We Have Always Lived in the Castle, by Shirley Jackson. Very different vibes in these two, but I can say that they are both truly creepy. Don’t judge the first by its movie(s), it’s so much more nuanced and weird than anything Hollywood managed to put onscreen.

Starling House, by Alix E. Harrow. Southern gothic horror. Here is my review.

Vampire books by Anne Rice (the first two are the best). Classic paranormal. I also liked Sunshine, by Robin McKinley, a completely different take. And if you like sex and diners with your vamps, there is, of course, the “Sookie Stackhouse” series by Charlaine Harris.

The Harper Connelly books, also by Charlaine Harris, recently reread and commented on by me here. You could also try the “Midnight, Texas” series, though they are not my faves apart from my love for their protagonist.

The Graveminder, by Melissa Marr. “Sleep well, and stay where I put you!”

The Library of the Dead, by T. L. Huchu. Ghosts with a Zimbabwean twist. I reviewed this one too.

A Certain Slant of Light, by Laura Whitcomb. A dreamy, unusual ghost story. There is a sequel I haven’t read, called Under the Light.

Hold Me Closer, Necromancer, by Lish McBride, a somewhat comedic take on a modern necromancer and his paranormal pals. Big fun. There is a sequel called Necromancing the Stone.

The “Visions” series by Lisa McMann.

Also, please enjoy the following excellent ghostly tales, which I reviewed here for a previous Hallowe’en post:

Meet Me at the River, by Nina de Gramont
The “Lockwood & Co.” series, by Jonathan Stroud.
The “Shades of London” series, by Maureen Johnson.

…and a few more.